Alternatives to Back Surgery Back surgery. Two simple words that are enough to make most of us shudder. In talking to our patients, we have come to learn that many people expect surgery to be the only solution for their back pain. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. For example, complex procedures like […]
While many surgeons say no to resuming a running program after a total hip replacement, others say you can do so depending on the bone quality and the prosthetic materials used to replace the worn hip joint. In surgery, the damaged cartilage and bone are removed and replaced with metal, plastic or ceramic joint surfaces. […]
Your shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint made up of three dominant bones—the humerus, clavicle and scapula. The rotator cuff consists of a group of four tendons and associated muscles that collectively work to keep the arm bone within the socket of your shoulder blade while allowing your arm to raise and rotate. Although damage to […]
Surgery can take a major toll on your body, not just for the obvious reasons. Even a minor surgical procedure requires your body to heal, expending energy and invoking immune responses that can tax your musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary systems. The more intensive the procedure, the more difficult your recovery may be. Spending time in the […]
Almost everyone has heard of total hip replacement and total knee replacement. But fewer people are familiar with total ankle replacement (also called total ankle arthroplasty). Although the ankle looks like a simple hinge joint, it actually involves much more complex movement, absorbing forces up to five times body weight. Many conditions, such as severe […]
If you are about to have your hip replaced, you will need to begin a rehabilitation program very soon after the procedure is completed. The type of rehabilitation will vary with the surgical technique used to attach the metal prosthesis to the femur. This artificial ball and stem can be affixed either with bony cement […]
Microdiscectomy, a common form of lower back surgery, is used to treat leg pain caused by disc herniation. Because it uses a smaller incision, microdiscectomy is far less invasive and causes far less trauma to underlying tissues than its alternative, laminectomy. Because the mechanical structure of the lower spine remains unchanged, the recovery period after […]
Extensor tendons allow you to extend your wrist and open your hand. They run along the forearm to the wrist and then along the back of the hand. Because these tendons have little protection, they are quite vulnerable to injury. You could injure your extensor tendons in several ways: lacerations (for example, if your hand […]
If only surgical treatment worked so perfectly that the patient would hop of the operating table, cured, with no painful recovery required. For knee surgery, that is not the case. Today, most surgical procedures on the crescent-shaped, fibrous knee joint cartilage called the meniscus are performed with tiny incisions, cameras and instruments. Thus, the recovery […]
Back pain can put a severe crimp in your daily activities. One cause of such pain is a herniated disc, also called a slipped or ruptured disc. A common condition of the lower back that seldom requires surgery, herniated discs are most common in women and men aged 30 to 50 years, although they also […]
